Officers patrol a crime scene where 34 miners were gunned down by South African police.<br/> <br />An inquiry has been launched into the shooting, which was the bloodiest security operation since the end of white rule.<br/> <br />The miners were shot dead during a strike. Most were armed with machetes and sticks.<br/> <br />The incident rekindled images of brutality in South Africa's apartheid era.<br/> <br />Following the shooting, President Jacob Zuma cut short a trip to Mozambique and visited the area.<br/> <br />He ordered an investigation into what went wrong.<br/> <br />SOUNDBITE: SOUTH AFRICA PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA SAYING (English):<br/> <br />"We have to uncover the truth about what happened here. In this regard I have decided to institute the commission of inquiry. The inquiry will enable us to get to the real cause of the incident and derive the necessary lessons too."<br/> <br />The president called the loss of life "tragic" and "unacceptable".<br/> <br />He urged South Africa to unite in mourning.
